Gupta Guide: Must Reads in MS, ALL, and Care of Returning Vets

Gupta Guide must reads for today: gene-based immune therapy in two children with relapsed and refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL); IOM slams care of Iraq and Afghanistan vets; immunotherapy for asthma and allergic rhinitis; and an analysis of pipeline multiple sclerosis drugs.

Gupta Guide Must Reads:
News you need to know today to keep you in the know

WASHINGTON -- Not all veterans who have returned from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have received the care they needed from the myriad of programs offered by the federal government, a report concluded.

Even when people do receive care, there is little evidence supporting the effectiveness of the many programs that exist to help returning service members and their families, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) said Tuesday.

Reviewed by F. Perry Wilson, MD, MSCE; Instructor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Researchers reported encouraging but preliminary results of gene-based immune therapy in two children with relapsed and refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Both children achieved a remission after they were given T cells modified to attack B cells bearing the surface protein CD19, according to Stephan A. Grupp, MD, PhD, of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and colleagues.

Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) can be an effective treatment for asthma and allergic rhinitis, researchers found.

A review of the literature found strong evidence that SLIT improves asthma symptoms and moderate evidence that it can treat allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis, Sandra Lin, MD, of Johns Hopkins, and colleagues reported in the March 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

SAN DIEGO -- A host of upcoming and recently approved multiple sclerosis drugs are on the horizon. Here's a look at four of them, plus a peek at an entirely novel treatment approach.

For physicians interested in the newest MS therapies, last week's meeting of the American Academy of Neurology offered a feast of well-funded research on investigational agents including alemtuzumab (Lemtrada), dimethyl fumarate (BG-12), ocrelizumab, and laquinimod.

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